Research
Harnessing Biology to Build Quantum Materials
We are semiconductor and DNA chemists operating at the intersection of synthesis, chemical biology, and quantum information science. Our mission: accelerate the discovery of quantum materials by combining synthetic organic chemistry with the massive throughput of biological systems.
Quantum Materials Through DNA Assembly
We create organic spin centres from dye molecules. By leveraging DNA, we control their self-assembly with sub-nanometer precision over molecular interactions. This enables us to precisely engineer spin dynamics in ways impossible with traditional chemistry.
Our approach: We synthetically install dyes with phosphoramidite groups, allowing us to incorporate large aromatic systems directly onto DNA using solid-phase synthesis. This overcomes hydrophobicity challenges and provides unprecedented control over intermolecular interactions.
Key Achievements
First observation of two-triplet, four-electron spin quintet states on DNA
Programmable exciton arrays on DNA origami nanostructures
Single-molecule control of energy flow in excitonic systems
Applications
Our bio-inspired platform accelerates development of:
Quantum Information Systems
Organic spin qubits with tunable coherence
Solar Energy & LEDs
High-efficiency light harvesting and emission
Molecular Electronics
Programmable exciton transport for next-generation devices
By bridging chemistry, biology, and physics, we’re creating materials that were previously impossible to make — and doing it faster than ever before.